The Reason
by Iglika
Summary: Zee/Ro. This is my Valentine’s Day present for all of you.But if you don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day,you can still read this story,it’s not about the holiday, it’s about Zee/Ro relationship.It's finally updated!Chapter 2 and the end of the story are here!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. It's just a fanfiic.

A/N As English isn't my native language, I want to thank **Aldebaran8423** for her editing help on this chapter.

This story is my Valentine's Day present for all of you - my Zee/Ro Valentine's Day story for this year.

But if you don't celebrate Valentine's Day, you can still read this story – it's not about the holiday, it's about Zee/Ro relationship.

Enjoy!

The Reason

Chapter One

by Iglika

**Ro's point of view**

"Ro?" the voice came from the other side of the closed door.

A familiar, deep and soft, warm voice, full of concern, a voice full of understanding and care, a touching voice; a tender and at the same time firm voice; a masculine voice; a real man's voice; his voice…

Zee's voice.

I knew he was standing there, right next to the door, listening for even the slightest sound, which would tell him what was experiencing.

And I tried to stop the tears, I hoped his sharp hearing hadn't detected my crying.

I hadn't lied to him that I wanted to take a shower, it was my normal routine after I had slept the whole morning, waking at lunch time on a peaceful day like today, when we weren't on the run.

But the whole truth was that I needed to hide from him. I needed to be alone, I needed to cry. And the sound of the shower hid my crying.

I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever, though. I had been in here for too long anyway… I was out of the shower already, wrapped in a white bath towel, the shower was off, and I had to leave, but… I still kept crying, biting my lips, clenching my eyelids, pressing my hands to my face…

"Ro? Are you alright? Ro?" His voice was much more worried than it was a little while ago.

I couldn't answer him; he would be able to tell I was crying.

I took a deep breath and went to the sink. The sound of the running water would show him that I hadn't passed out or anything; and most of all it would hide any traces of tears in my voice.

"I'm fine! I'm coming!" I shouted through the sound of the running water.

I hoped the cold water would soothe the skin on my face, the redness of my eyes and calm my breathing…

I arranged my wet short blonde hair just a little bit.

So what, Ro Rowen? Are you ready to be the lively tomboy, who Zee knows?

I unlocked the door. As I thought, Zee was standing right there. This tall guy, with sharp, handsome features, this strong man who could lift rocks and tear steel, was so concerned and worried about me now, that I felt an almost physical pain at troubling him like that.

I wanted to say something nice to him, I wanted to caress his face to show him there's nothing he had to worry about, but I didn't dare. I just smiled passing by him and I made my way toward my room.

"I'm glad you're okay, Ro." I heard his warm, velvet voice behind me.

"Of course I am!" I looked at him over my shoulder, smiling anew; I entered the room in order to dress and I closed the door behind me.

"May I beg you to dress fast; we have to catch the plane." I heard his voice through the door again.

"What plane?!" I shouted back, sincerely astonished.

"The flight to Malibu."

"What for?! We don't need to visit Wade just now. You said we were safe here!"

"Yes, we are," he answered calmy and confidently. "But we have to be on time in Malibu for the Valentine's Day cruise aboard the brand new ship, the "The Night Sky". I already bought the tickets."

"You _**what**_?!?"

to be continued…

A/N I didn't mean to divide this story on chapters, I wanted it to be just a one-shot, but maybe lately I just can't write short Zee/Ro stories… I'll post the rest of the story as soon as I can, and I'll post the next chapter of "A Guest for Christmas" too, and then the next chapter of "Labyrinth", just please keep telling me what you think about what you had read so far, please review, pretty please!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. It's just a fanfiic.

A/N As English isn't my native language, I want to thank **Karez2much** for her editing help on this chapter.

I'm deeply sorry I wasn't able to update this story for a whole year, I didn't expect it would happen that way, I'm really very sorry.

I hope you haven't given up on me and you will read the end of this story. It's still my Valentine's Day present for you.

But if you don't celebrate Valentine's Day, you can still read this story – it's not about the holiday, it's about Zee/Ro relationship.

The Reason

Chapter One

by Iglika

**Ro's point of view**

"You _**what**_?!?" I yelled, and dressed already in an expensive, long, navy blue silky dress, I sharply opened the door.

"I bought the tickets" he repeated a little bit confused by my rage.

"Then you have to give them back!"

"Why? You said you want to be on that cruise…"

"I said I want to be on Mars too! But that doesn't mean you have to take me there. People always want to have things, they want to go to many places, but you don't have to take it literally. The chocolate, remember? You don't have to buy all the chocolate at once for me. Got it?"

But instead of his usual "got it", he stubbornly tried to keep insisting. I had no mood to argue, so I said with a boring tone, "Today is Valentine's Day, Zee. It's not for us to go there."

"Why not?" He lifted his thick black brows with an even more clueless look.

I couldn't believe I had to explain him this! What had happened to him? He talked like a naïve kid again, as he was at the beginning of our friendship, but he already knew so many things…

"The cruise is for couples who want to celebrate Valentine's Day. It's a girlfriend/boyfriend thing, okay?" I hear myself saying this before to realize I didn't have to…

But it was too late. The words were already spoken. And it was exactly what he had wanted me to do. His expression changed. He didn't look so naïve anymore. His deep blue eyes were full of understanding now; they were full of care and concern… and… the warmth tenderness in them made me feel like… as if I was just an open book and he was reading my every emotion and dream, even the vaguest one…

"Don't you want to have a boyfriend, Ro?" he almost whispered.

I didn't answer. I just kept looking at his navy blue eyes, unable to say a word, unable to understand why he was asking me that, unable to guess his true goal…

His voice was so quiet and so soft… like a velvet moss in a shady place where you can relax and be safe… and you can share your heart…

"Ro, you told me about the boy you had a crush on but you didn't tell me if he ever became your boyfriend, after you ripped your pants in front of him?"

"I told you to delete this!" I almost yelled like I was just awake from a deep sleep.

"Back then, at that moment we were in, I had no chance to argue about it."

"Oh? To argue! About something I begged you?!"

"Well…" Zee leaned his back against the wall.

The hologram of his black official suit and his silky lilac shirt was in a real contrast with his almost boyish gesture to lean like this against the wall.

He bent his head, which made his black forelock to cover his eyes, and avoiding my eyes for a moment, he awry smiled, as if remembering this moment made him feel the offence once again. "You didn't exactly beg me. It was mostly like an order."

I folded my arms on my chest. "Oh, I forgot! You have the habit for not obeying orders!"

He slightly shook his head. "The wrong ones only."

"What could be wrong about my wish to delete a stupid event, which humiliated me?!" I lifted my hands up to exalt my indignation and then put them on my hips.

He looked at me beneath his black forelock still hang over his eyes. Did he know how charming he was like this? "Actually nothing. I just wasn't agreeing to delete this record."

"But I heard the deleting sound, Zee!"

"Well…" he tried to hide a smile, looking straight in front of him at the opposite wall. "I cheated you." He shrugged his shoulders, then he folded his arms on his chest on his turn, still pretending to be innocent, and he looked at me, still through his black forelock, with a barely hidden smile and with one lifted eyebrow, obviously curious what my reaction would be.

"Not a very honorable action, don't you think?" I frowned.

"It depends of the intentions behind it" he kept his amused look.

"And yours were?"

His expression changed again, this time becoming completely serious. But he didn't remove his forelock from his eyes. "As they always are. Everything connected with you is important to me, Ro. I can't delete anything."

"That became too sappy!" I waved a hand, trying to ignore the feeling that I looked like a whimsical director who's not satisfied of a scene even when everything had been just perfect. "I'm hungry; you know we, humans, need to eat from time to time."

"So we wouldn't go on the cruise?" He carefully asked not because he doubted I would change my mind, but to try to convince himself that I had took a final decision.

"No. We'll go downstairs to the restaurant, if you don't mind. I'm sick of eating in our hotel rooms."

Zee didn't protest though. He didn't insist anymore about us going to Malibu, which surprised me and completely got me confused why that entire cruise thing was about.

But I didn't ask him. I just didn't want to be disappointed if his answer wouldn't be what I was hoping it was.

A few minutes later we were at the restaurant and I was reading the menu. It was the most luxurious place in the city and Zee had chosen it purposely because it would be a little bit harder for Bennet and his team to make a show to catch us in such a place, rather than if it was some small cheap hotel with a few guests only.

The truth was though that I wasn't hungry at all and what took my attention was an ice cream cake. But when the waiter came and I said what I want to eat, Zee looked at me in alarm and then quietly and very politely sent him off with the excuse that we need more time to consider our order.

I leaned my elbows against the table and looked at Zee without hiding my irritation. "Now what?"

"You just recovered from a cold, Ro." Zee said softly with his 'very concerned about Ro' look. "I don't think your throat is ready to deal with ice cream yet. The ice cream is designed for hot weather, to bring you some refreshment and now is still February, it's still too cold and---"

"Okay, _**Mo-o-om**_!" I nagged, sighing with my most bored face, and I took the menu again, trying to find something else to eat, which wouldn't throw into a panic my babysitter.

Zee said nothing. I knew I had offended him, but I didn't even lift my eyes from the menu to look at him. It wasn't like my joke to call him 'Mom' was an offence. When I had said it for the fist time, I did it as a pure joke and he knew that. But today I had a bitter mood from the moment I woke up. And the way I just said this 'Mom' was offending. Well, today wasn't my day. I didn't feel even as I can explain it to Zee. I only hoped he would understand.

But maybe I wanted too much from him. Maybe he wasn't able to guess why I was so sour.

"I'll take a look around to be sure we are safe" he said quietly, but behind those usual, common words, I clearly sensed how hurt he was.

But just like him I said nothing. I just had no strength to make it up to him. Not today. Not exactly now.

He moved away and I kept pretending I was reading the menu.

He will come back. After a few minutes he will come back. I didn't have to worry. I didn't have to---

"Rowen? Is that you?"

Oh, no! I could recognize this voice even after thousand years! I had so many bad memories connected with it! I couldn't believe it was possible, not here, not now!

I lifted my head to look at the young couple who was standing beside my table and tried a polite smile.

"Yes, it's me, Alice."

Behind their backs I saw Zee who, with a terrified expression, was staring in my direction, trying to ask me with his look only, am I in danger. As they were looking at me, there was no way for me to answer him…

He moved behind a column and when he came out, he looked like the waiter. Zee approached my table and stopped silently, as if he was waiting my order.

"What are you doing here, Rowen?" Sarcastically said the dark brown haired girl in front of me, glancing at the dandy beside her, who returned her the same sarcastic look. "I would never think I could meet you on such a place." Alice continued to harass me. "Did you sneak in here through the window?"

She definitely hinted about the last event in the last girl orphan home, when I ran away by the bathroom window I broke, then jumped off the window and then – climbed the wall in the garden and jumped on the street. Obviously my expensive dress wasn't enough to prove to her I wasn't a street girl anymore. At that moment I really was sorry I didn't accept Zee's offer for the cruise.

Zee, still with the hologram of the waiter, took a step closer and bending a little bit toward me, and with the waiter's voice, said quietly, but loudly enough for Alice and her boyfriend to hear, "I'm sorry to interrupt Miss, but I have a message from your fiancé. He apologized for his delay and wanted me to tell you he will be here any moment. Probably your cell phone is turned off and that was the reason why he wasn't able to call you."

I looked at him surprised… and very embarrassed of the word 'fiancé' but… thankful at the same time that he saved me from this situation… I nodded him and then looked at Alice again.

"Actually I have to thank you for giving me the reason to hit your face with the tray. The punishment made me escape that awful orphan home. And my escaping was the reason to meet an amazing man - my fiancé."

I smiled to the 'waiter' saying that I'm thanking him and with my most victorious look I looked back at Alice .

Now Zee knew they both weren't agents and he knew who this girl was. He made a very slight bow and made his way back to the column. After a few seconds he came into sight again, with his own Zee Smith appearance and he headed toward me.

"I'm sorry I was late, honey" he said sliding his hand over my shoulders, he bent over me, kissing me tenderly on the lips and still with his hand on my shoulders, staying beside me, he added, looking at Alice and her boyfriend, "But as I can see you have a company."

My heart was beating wildly… it wasn't only because of the surprise of the kiss… so unexpected, so quick and so gentle… it wasn't just a slight touch, his lips really moved and kissed mine… he could pretend he was kissing me just bending over me, but he didn't pretend, he really kissed me… I still felt the incredible sensation of his soft, warm lips on mine… but my thrill wasn't because of this only… it was… because of his entire behavior, it was like a wave of confidence and protection… that tall, and strong handsome man was radiating an unbelievable respect… he knew what he was doing and his self confidence was like a message to everybody all around that I'm his, that I'm more precious to him than anything else and no one had the right to hurt me, not even with a wrong word. It was hard for me to define all the impression he created, but I could see it reflecting in Alice's and her boyfriend's eyes, they both were literally shocked. And there was more - I could follow their looks at the fourth finger of my left hand where there was a very expensive, beautiful, shining golden engagement ring with bright diamonds. Well, it appeared when Zee touched my shoulders, but what of it? Obviously Alice and her shadow just hadn't noticed it a few minutes ago.

"Those people aren't exactly my company, honey" I said, turning my head to look up at Zee. "Obviously they had snuck in here somehow."

"Do you want me to alarm the guards?" Zee asked, sliding his hand on my shoulders again in order to rise to his full height, but without letting go of my left shoulder.

"No need. I'm sure they are smart enough to leave."

Alice was so mad that she was about to explode of anger. She pulled her boyfriend's hand and without saying a word she dragged him toward some other, open table.

Zee followed them with his gaze until they went to some other part of the restaurant and then he sat in the chair in front of me.

He avoided my eyes though, pretending to read his menu. But I knew he didn't even notice the letters. There was no sign of his threatening look anymore. He was merely waiting, just like an unruly kid who was waiting for some punishment because of his mischievous behavior.

I reached my hand and slightly touched his. Zee quickly, with disbelief, looked at me, straight to my eyes.

I couldn't help but smile at his embarrassment.

"Come on, Zee, it's okay!" I assured him, but I drew back my hand even before he tried to move his in answer.

"You don't mind what I… did?"

"It was about time, Zee" I smiled again at his even more astonished expression.

"So you… we… I mean…" he stammered.

"Did you start to malfunction?"

"No!" He finally smiled too, bending his head for a while, his forelock slid across his eyes and when he looked at my eyes again, he did it through the black lock of his hair. Maybe after all, he knew how I loved him to do this?

"So that was the reason why you cried in the bath, Ro?"

I gave him a playful look, touching my lips with my forefinger and answering him with a question, "And that was the reason why you bought the tickets for the cruise, Zee?"

He nodded, smiling, and took both my hands in his.

"I love you, Ro" he whispered, caressing my hands and looking into my eyes. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find strength to---"

"Sometimes you just talk too much, you know that?" and before allowing him to prove me wrong, I snuck my hand through his, carefully grabbing the material covering of his lilac shirt and making him to bend closer to me, across the table, and I kissed him on the lips on my turn.

"Ro…" he whispered very embarrassed, and he looked around to see if someone had noticed this.

"O-o-ops!" I shrugged my shoulders, looking around too.

He smiled and taking my hand, he made me to get up, while he was standing up too. "I think neither of us wants to eat exactly now, so we can get out of here, right?"

I smiled at him too and arm in arm we were about to leave the restaurant…

When the waiter approached us to see us to the door.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" he smiled.

"Thanks!" we both said almost in one voice and smiling at the waiter, we left the restaurant.

the end

A/N I want to apologize once again for the long delay of the update. If you liked this story, no matter when you will read it, please let me know, please leave a review, just a few words.

Thank you for reading!


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